The study, which uses data gathered from Great Places to Work, points to the company’s openness from its leadership and the treatment of its employees as the primary reason it took the top spot.
When it comes to the biotech and pharmaceuticals industry, Illinois-based AbbVie is the best place to work, according to a new survey.
AbbVie, the maker of the world’s most prescribed drug Humira, took the top spot in Fortune’s list of the 10 best pharma and biotech companies. The study, which uses data gathered from Great Places to Work, points to the company’s openness from its leadership and the treatment of its employees as the primary reason it took the top spot.
“The executive leadership team is very approachable and very involved. They emphasize collaboration, respect for each other, and work-life balance. They understand that our greatest asset is the people and not the products,” employees told Fortune.
AbbVie achieved an overall 90 percent ranking in employee satisfaction, with 96 percent of employees stating they feel good about the way the company contributes to the community. Last month, AbbVie donated $40 million to build a new middle school in the company’s hometown North Chicago. Philanthropy and volunteerism are core values at the company. The $40 million donation was part of AbbVie’s commitment to donate a total of $350 million to various organizations and causes.
Maryland-based United Therapeutics took the No. 2 spot on the list. According to the Great Places to Work data, the company has an overall employee satisfaction of 94 percent, higher than the overall satisfaction level at AbbVie.
“It is an empowering and enriching place to work, learn, share, and care! I’ve never worked with an organization or team as dedicated, talented, and genuine as my team,” employees told Fortune.
Coming in third is another Illinois-based company, Horizon Pharma. It achieved a 93 percent rating from Great Places to Work and 97 percent of employees said they were made to feel welcome from the moment they joined the company. Employees told Fortune that at the core of company culture is the idea of taking the task of developing disease treatments personally. The employees said they feel connected to the work and “the good they do.”
With an 88 percent employee satisfaction rating, New York-based Regeneron took the No. 4 spot. Employees told Fortune that they feel empowered to get the job done and are trusted by leadership to do so.
“The organization gives you tools to do your job to the best of your ability. Employees are trusted to get the job done. Great sense of teamwork and friendship throughout the company,” the employees said.
Coming in at 5th place is South San Francisco-based Genentech. A member of the Roche family, Genentech posted an 87 percent overall employee satisfaction, according to Great Places to Work. The employees told Fortune that at Genentech, individuals are not judged so much by their educational background as opposed to “your abilities and your drive to improve yourself and learn.” The employees said that people “genuinely care” about their professional and personal development.
Rounding out Fortune’s Top 10 biopharma companies are, in order, Novo Nordisk, Tec Laboratories, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Merck and Second Genome.
